An Introduction of Islamic Revolution in Japan

Assalamualaikum dear brother of Islam. My name is Iqbal Hosain. I was born in Bangladeshi but now I am a citizen of Japan. I found a lot of difference now about Islam scenario than when I came to Japan 30 years ago. It was rare to find any Mosque and Halal food shop in Japan but during these 30 years, it has improved by our effort along with the Islamic Mission of Japan and other Islamic organizations. 

Now if you travel to any place in Japan from Okinawa to Hokkaido I can tell you you will find a Halal Food shop and Mosque.  

As a businessman in Japan, I always inspired and motivated people to expand the Halal business across Japan. After this long period of time when I look back I think my hard work paid off. Because of this hard work, you will see that the expansion of Islam activity increased in a rapid way.  

Non-Muslims are now converting to Islam and they are going to Saudi Arabia, Misor to learn Islam and spread the invitation of Islam in Japan. Japan Islamic Mission and other Islamic organizations guide them by giving information and for many other purposes. That is why Islam is now spreading in Japan a very smooth way with a co-operative attitude.  

Islamic Mission of Japan and other Islamic organization together arranged a program after every 3 months in a year to have a communication with the Japanese Muslim and Japanese Non-Muslim people in Japan. Islamic Mission of Japan is mainly a Bangladeshi initiative group but we work together with all country people and other Islamic groups. Our main inspiration is the same to spread and invite people about Islam in Japan. Every year we arrange Islamic education programs with Japanese people. Hope if we keep doing hard work within the next 5 years the ratio of Islam will increase significantly. 

Islamic Mission of Japan and other Islamic organizations are trying to organize and establish many mosques before the Olympic 2020 so that whenever foreign people will come to Japan during the time of the Olympics, they can feel it's their home country. Along with our initiative, the Japanese government is working on this project. 

Sendai Mosque is a significant place for all the Muslims living in Japan and I am proud to be a beginning member of this Mosque. Islamic Culture Center Sendai built the Mosque in Sendai. At present 500 Muslim people are living in Sendai and 80% of them are Tohoku University students and the rest of 20% are businessmen. All they can accomplish is pray in Sendai Mosque soundly together. 

In 2011 at the time of the Tōhoku tsunami Islamic Mission of Japan, ICCS  and other Islamic organizations kept a significant role as a volunteer. Many Muslim people Bangladeshi and other

People from other countries came to the Tohoku Tsunami to act as a volunteer. They helped the Tsunami victims giving cloth, food, medicine, and so on.  

All the Tsunami affected people praised a lot for this helping hand from Muslim people and they remarked, they will never forget this helping attitude from Muslim people and they will ever remember it.  

The light of Islam emanated from the Arabian Peninsula and spread eastwards to Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and the Indian sub-continent, then to Malaysia and reached as far as China and the Philippine. It continued spreading for a long time and reached different parts of the world but reached Japan only towards the end of the nineteenth century. 

Few Japanese know of the sinking of a Turkey naval Vessel 125 years ago off the coast of the Kii Peninsula. Turkey Sultan Abdul Hamid was deeply impressed by the Japanese rapid growth following the Meiji Restoration of 1868. He sent a goodwill vessel in 1890 to help japan but a dangerous hurricane fell on the ship when they were going back to Turkey and causing the death of more than 550 people including the Sultan’s brother. Some of them saved their life and lived in Japan.  

One of them namely Abdul Hay Quarban Ali emerged as a religious leader of Tatar Muslims and published Yapan Makhbari, an Islamic magazine in the Tatar language which was distributed inside and outside Japan. He also established a printing house with Arabic letters, in which Islamic books were written in the Tatar language. The Quran was also printed in this printing house. This holy Quran had been printed in this printing house.  

This Holy Quran had been printed a few years before in the city of Kazan before the communist rule. He also strengthened his relations with Japanese authorities and managed through their assistance and support to build the first Mosque in Tokyo in 1983. Dignitaries who attended the inauguration of Mosque included late Hafiz Wahbah, the ambassador of Saudi Arabia in London on behalf of late King Abdul Aziz al Saud, Saif Al Islam Al Hossein from Yemen, Mahmoud Fawzi,  Consul of Egypt in Japan. After this era, Islam gradually grew up in Japan. 

In summary, I would like to say, if we work together under the same umbrella as a brother it's not too long that Islam will be the most strong and converted religion in Japan. 

Thank you all.

Iqbal Hossain

Takara Enterprise Sendai (President)

Japan Halal Project (Vice President) 

 KK Azami Trading (Representative Chairman) 

ICCS (Islamic Culture Center Sendai) Board of Director